Decorative electrical lighting system



Nov. 14, 1961 s. HOLBROOK 3,009,009

DECORATIVE ELECTRICAL LIGHTING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 29, 1960 INC) IN V ENTOR.

R055? swx BY ms A l TORN Y llllli illlllfillllfl United States Patent3,009,009 DECORATIVE ELECTRICAL LIGHTING SYSTEM Robert S. Holbrook, 239E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah Filed Feb. 29, 1960, Ser. No.11,827 Claims. (Cl. 174-72) This invention relates to decorativeelectrical lighting systems for Christmas trees and, more particularly,to a new and improved system of the type described wherein the mountingring structure thereof is very inexpensive to manufacture and yetinsures optimum reliability of the system.

An object of the present invention is toprovide a new and improved,decorative electrical lighting system for Christmas trees wherein themounting ring thereof, i.e. for mounting the system to the top stem of aChristmas tree, is of simplified, inexpensive and yet highly reliablestructure.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved mounting'ring for decorative electrical lighting systems forChristmas trees in which plastic material thereof may be conserved, bynew and improved retainer disc construction for the mounting ring.

An additional object of the present invention is to pro vide a retainerdisc wherein the aperture pattern thereof, designed to receive theelectrical leads and input conductors of the system, are so arranged andso constituted as to tightly retain their associated electricalcomponents.

According to the present invention the mounting ring structure of thesystem includes a mounting tube and re tainer disc combination. Themounting tube is designed to slip over the top stem of a Christmas tree.The retainer disc has a central aperture which receives the mountingtube in a press fit or semi press fit relationship.

The retainer disc of the combination includes a plurality of uniqueapertures which tightly contain the electrical leads passingtherethrough in one or a variety of configurations. When so tightlycontaining the electrical leads and input conductors passingtherethrough, the plastic fill material of the mounting structure of thesystem may be disposed only on one side of the retainer disc of thestructure.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of the mounting tube, retainer disc combinationof the invention.

FIGURE 2A is a view taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1 and illustratesthe combination of FIGURE 1 when the retainer disc thereof includespairs of retainer apertures for receiving electrical leads (either of alight string or of the input conductor pair).

FIGURE 23 is a view taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1, is similar toFIGURE 2A, but illustrates that the pairs of retainer apertures forreceiving the electrical leads may be of intersecting character so as tokey and to retain tightly the electrical lead pair to be associatedtherewith.

FIGURE 2C is a view taken along the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1 and illustratesa further modification of the invention wherein the retainer aperturesof the disc of the combination of FIGURE 1 simply comprise respectiveelongated apertures designed to receive tightly the electrical leadpairs and also the input conductor pair.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged elevation, principally in sec- "ice tion of thecompleted mounting ring structure of the invention.

FIGURE 3A is a plan view of the mounting ring structure shown in FIGURE3 but with the plastic fill material being removed for convenience ofillustration.

FIGURE 4 is an elevation of a modified mounting ring structure whereinthe fill material thereof is disposed on but one side of the retainerdisc of the combination illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 5 and 6 are side elevation and plan views of the completedlighting system, with the several light strings in FIGURE 6 beingdeleted for convenience of illustration.

In FIGURE 1 mounting tube 10 is a conventional tube segment of rubber orplastic or other suitable constituency. Retainer disc 11 exhibits acentral aperture 12 and a plurality of retainer apertures 13. Retainerdisc 11 may be fabricated from wood, a suitable plastic, rubber, orother suitable material. Mounting tube 10 engages retainer disc 11 ataperture 12 in a press fit or semi press fit relationship.

FIGURES 2A, 2B and 2C illustrate three various forms which the retainerdisc 11 maintains. Thus, the retainer disc in the various configurementsis respectively designated 11(A), 11(B), and 11(C).

In the configurement illustrated in FIGURE 2A it will be seen that theapertures 13 are set up in pairs 13' and are designed to receive theelectrical lead pairs 14 and, in particular, each of the leads 15 and16- thereof.

It is essential that these apertures 13 tightly contain the leads 15 and16 of each of the pairs 14 passing therethrough. A representativeelectrical lead pair is shown in each of the FIGURES 2A, 2B and 2C. InFIGURE 2B the retainer aperture configurement is modified somewhatreiative to FIGURE 2A such that the several apertures 13 of each pair 13intersect or overlap so as to be adapted, not only for tightly receivingeach electrical lead pair 14, but also for keying the 15, 16combination. It is popular at the present time to manufacture electricallead pairs in a unitary and yet insulated construction. The two leads ofeach electrical lead pair will be joined, and yet spaced apart, by theplastic segment common to both plastic coatings independently incasingthe two conductors. Thus, such a construction will be advantageouslyretained by the retainer aperture configurement in FIGURE 2B, and alsowill be keyed in position so that the electrical junctures (hereinafterto be mentioned) may be formed in the easiest possible manner once theends of the electrical lead pairs are separated (by pulling apart byknife or other means.

FIGURE 2C illustrates a third configurement of the retainer disc whichis designated as 11(C) in FIGURE 2C. Retainer disc 11(C) has a pluralityof apertures P which are merely elongated and which tightly receive eachof the respective pairs 14 of the electrical leads.

It has been seen with reference to all three configurements of retainerdisc 11, i.e. 11(A), 11(B), and 11(C), the electrical lead pairs (andthe input conductor pair) will be retained tightly.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the combination of FIGURE 1 to have received theelectrical lead pairs 14 (and input conductor pair 14' composed ofconductors A and B), with the same entering their respective aperturesand being joined together as shown to form electrical junctures X and Y.These junctures should preferably be soldered.

FIGURE 3A illustrates the retainer disc configuration shown in FIGURE2A, merely by way of example, and illustrates the way in which theelectrical junctures X and Y, preferably soldered, are formed.

After these junctures are so formed, then the structure is introducedinto a rubber or plastic or other mold so as to receive fill material17, the latter being composed of rubber, of suitable thermoplastic orother suitable material. Fill material 17 serves to incase the twoelectrical junctures X and Y and also to form the outer contour 18 ofmounting ring structure 19 of the system 20.

It is important to note that the fill material 17 may be confined solelyto one side of retainer disc 11 as shown in FIGURE 4. In this vent,retainer disc 11 serves as the base of the mounting ring 19 structureand considerable plastic material is saved. It is important to note thatthis is made possible solely by the fact that the electrical leads 14(and 14') are tightly contained by the respective retainer apertures ofretainer disc 11.

FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate the completed system 20, the same havingmounting ring structure 19 for mounting to the top stern S of Christmastree T.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in theappended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A decorative electrical lighting system including, in combination, amounting tube, a retainer disc having a central aperture and a pluralityof retainer apertures, said retainer disc being mounted upon saidmounting tube at said central aperture, a pair of input conductorspassing through at least one of said retainer apertures of said retainerdisc, being tightly contained thereby, a plurality of light strings eachcomprising a pair of electrical leads, each of said electrical leadpairs respectively passing through at least one other of said retainerapertures, being tightly retained thereby, the ends of one electricallead of each of said pairs so passing through said retainer aperturesbeing electrically connected together and to one of said inputconductors in the region of said mounting tube to form a firstelectrical juncture, the ends of the remaining electrical leads of saidpairs being electrically connected together and to the remaining one ofsaid input conductors in the region of said mounting tube to form asecond electrical juncture, and fill material disposed about saidmounting tube, and against said retainer disc, encasing said electricaljunctures.

2. Structure according to claim 1 wherein said fill ma terial exists onbut one side of said retainer disc.

3. Structure according to claim 1 wherein said retainer apertures ofsaid retainer disc comprise elongated apertures, each respectivelytightly receiving said electrical lead pairs and said input conductorpair.

4. Structure according to claim 1 wherein said retainer apertures ofsaid retainer disc comprise pairs of side-byside apertures tightlycontaining respective pairs of electrical leads of the respective lightstrings and said input conductor pair.

5. Structure according to claim 4 wherein each of said input conductorand said electrical lead pairs are respectively integral, and whereinsaid side-by-side apertures are intersecting, thus respectively keyingand tightly retaining said electrical lead pairs and input conductorpair.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,891,341 Barocas Dec. 20, 1932 2,047,045 Veenboer July 7, 19362,242,597 Quandee May 20, 1941

